-This post was written by Liliana Zubia, Golden Key University of Texas at El Paso Chapter President- Regions 7 and 9 headed to west Texas for the 2014 Regional Summit from February 21-23. The annual meeting was hosted by the University of Texas at El […]
—This post was written by Erik Graybill, the president of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Golden Key chapter— From March 14-16, Regions 4, 5, and 6 held their 2014 Regional Summit in St. Louis, MO. I just want to start off by saying…WOW that was […]
—This post was written by Haley Wadley, vice president of the University of Wyoming chapter—
From March 14-16, Region 8 held their Regional Summit at 7,200 feet in Laramie, Wyoming! Members from around the region gathered together to participate in an adventurous weekend that would turn out to be filled with memories, new friends and great ideas. Over the past year members of the Golden Key chapter at the University of Wyoming prepared to make this weekend as successful as possible so that members around the region could gather together and share their love for Golden Key and all of its amazing opportunities!
Friday was just the beginning to a great weekend as attendees came into town and begin registration at the Hilton Garden Motel, where the traveling members would be staying for the weekend. At registration gift bags filled with several different items were handed out to each attending member, including Golden Key merchandise and lots of other goodies. Members were given some time to settle into their rooms before meeting up with University of Wyoming members to be caddied to the Wyoming Union building where the Summit meetings would be held. Upon arrival, members were given a Golden Key bingo question sheet where they had to meet other members in order to get spaces blacked out. Examples include: ran a 5K race, been to Disney Land, has siblings and etc. The first 3 members to meet 5 other members who met those qualifications won a prize! It was a great icebreaker.
After the students spent some time getting to know each other, a brief introduction was given by the Region 8 HQ Representative, John Dingfelder, which welcomed students to Laramie. After getting members excited about the weekend ahead of them, John handed the stage over to Sara Axelson, the Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Wyoming and a Golden Key honorary member. As a keynote speaker, Sara shared some experiences she has had in her career and the wisdom she has gained. Mrs. Axelson left the members feeling enlightened, inspired and ready to be leaders in the community. A catered dinner was then provided to students at the Wyoming Union Building, so that they could have plenty of energy for the night’s activities that lied ahead.
After dinner, students retreated to the basement of the Student Union for a night filled with exciting entertainment including: a billiards tournament, karaoke, photo booth, ping pong, Xbox 360, and Just Dance! Not to mention the snow cones, popcorn, snacks, soda and dessert tables! All members engaged in some form of activity during the night and seemed to be enjoying themselves as there was constant karaoke singers breaking out air guitars and their own dance moves. The delegate mixer proved to be a good way for students to relax and have a good time!
On Saturday morning, members woke up to breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn Restaurant and late registration began. A good morning welcome was given along with a headquarters update as Golden Key members arrived at the Wyoming Union at 9am. Students learned about the availability of scholarships and new advancements being made at the Headquarters office. Students scurried off to participate in the first of three workshop sessions being presented. All workshops focused in on the tools and resources available to Golden Key members and how to utilize these resources in order to better yourself and your chapter. Some of the workshop topics presented were: Personal and Professional Development, Service and Careers, New Member Recognition Events, Attitude for Altitude and Diversity and Inclusion, Golden Key 101 and more. After the first two workshop sessions adjourned, members met for a catered lunch and another update from Headquarters before returning to the third and final workshop session.
Following the last workshop session, members took a little time to relax before getting started on the service project. Before coming to Laramie, chapters were asked to collect small toiletry items (shampoo, soap, toothbrush, mouthwash, & etc.) to be donated to the new Family Crisis Center located in Rawlins, WY. The crisis center is new and truly appreciated the donations. Then, members started making Brazilian jewelry. Yes, Brazilian jewelry with a Brazilian native. Members got a brief informative talk from a Brazilian native who discussed the nature of the beads. The money collected from the jewelry sales is given back to a small community in Brazil so that a traveling mammogram machine can be purchased to help with breast cancer diagnosis. Members enjoyed learning different styles of making jewelry and picking out their own colors, styles and then making their own bracelets and necklaces. Some members even purchased some of the jewelry made!
A break was given before the closing banquet for some free time to relax and freshen up. The closing banquet started around 6 pm with a delicious dinner at the Wyoming Union where students gathered to reminisce about the day and the memories made. Jason Thompson, a renowned speaker, gave an astounding keynote address, and left us with the message that, “success is when you have fallen down and STILL get back up to keep pursuing your goals and dreams.” This message left members in awe as they moved to the University of Wyoming Planetarium to watch the newly released film Frozen.
As suspected, the fun would not stop after Saturday night. Sunday morning members woke up to another breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn restaurant. Chapter meetings filled up most of the morning, with each chapter discussing their successes, what needs work, and what new goals to be made. Members, tired yet motivated, checked out and departed Laramie around 12 pm to return to their homelands and put to work their knowledge from their 2014 Regional Summit.
On behalf of the University of Wyoming Golden Key chapter and Regional Summit Committee we would like to thank the Summit attendees, volunteers, Caterings of Laramie, Hilton Garden Inn Motel/Restaurant, Golden Key Headquarters staff, workshops presenters and keynote speakers. This meeting would not have been a success without you and we appreciate all that you do.
Until next time, remember to Just Breathe and we will see you at Regional Summit 2015!
Don’t miss the Golden Key 2014 International Summit from 31 July – 3 August in Boston. For more information and to register, visit www.is.gd/summit14.
—This post was written by Katrina Notarmaso, chapter president at The College of New Jersey— During the weekend of Friday, 28 February and Sunday, 2 March, Golden Key members, leaders, and advisors from Regions 1 and 10 convened for their Regional Summit at Stony Brook University in […]
—This post was written by Danesha Winfrey, Council of Student Members (CoSM) for U.S. Region 2, The University of Memphis— Friday, 28 February 2014 Golden Key’s Regions 2 and 3 teamed together for our Regional Summit this year at Georgia State University, which is where […]
—This post was written by Helen Luck from the Golden Key chapter at the University of Toronto—
On February 14-16, the 2014 Golden Key Canadian Regional Summit (CANCON) took place in Toronto, which is Canada’s largest city. Over 100 GK members across the nation joined us on Valentine’s Day weekend to celebrate their love for exploration, academics and Golden Key! CANCON was hosted by the chapters at York University and the University of Toronto.
The fun began on Friday afternoon for early arrivals at the chic Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel with the “Golden Key Unlocks Toronto” challenge. Participants explored Toronto attractions in teams of 5 or 6 with our CANCON tour guides. The object of the game was to complete a list of tasks at various, uniquely Torontonian attractions and to capture these moments with photos shared on Instagram, with the hashtag: #unlockTO. The tasks required participants to be creative, intelligent and team-spirited. The top 8 individuals with the most photos in number and creativity were awarded prizes worth a total of $3,000 in value! The attendees were also encouraged to bring canned goods and clothing donations for Fort York Food Bank as one of the challenges. After some fun around town and early registration, we made our way over to a local college pub, Einstein Café and Pub to warm up, mingle and relax before the big day.
At 9:00am on February 15th, attendees arrived at the newly built, state-of-the-art academic venue at the Rotman School of Management for a day packed with great speakers, workshops and networking sessions. Late registrations began and students received their attendee bags with lots of helpful material, including a specially made CANCON personal care package, Regional Summit guides, maps and other goodies. Attendees settled in after a sponsored continental breakfast and live music. The welcoming remarks were given by the two co-Presidents of UofT and York, Helen Luck and Mithila Kurera, followed by GK Canada Director, Ian Sankey; Student Rep, Vitaliy Chernenko; and our CANCON chair, Azin Zanganeh. Our keynote speaker was Marie Rickard, who gave a truly inspirational talk encouraging us to not only celebrate our triumphs in life, but to embrace our failures as well.
Attendees then proceeded to their first of the three panel choices over the day; this year’s panels consisted of renowned speakers in diverse fields ranging from biotechnology, medicine, and engineering to business design, law, architecture, and the fine arts. All panels revolved around the theme, “key to success”, with the idea that all attendees will be inspired by our speakers to unlock their potential. After the panel sessions commenced, attendees socialized freely with their peers and our valued sponsors, accompanied by live music and light refreshments. Shortly after the networking session, Victoria Fard and Gian Parian, the other co-presidents from UofT and York, began the chapter roundtable discussions in which chapter representatives shared their achievements for the past academic year.
Being young professionals, we work hard, but of course we play hard too. Saturday night began with an excellent dinner at Batôn Rouge and the party continued well into the night at one of Toronto’s most popular clubs, Tryst Nightclub.
We promised an entire weekend of fun, so we certainly didn’t stop with Saturday! Sunday brunch was located at the hotel’s own Azure Restaurant, followed by a deeper tour of Toronto’s most popular attractions including the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, Autoshow and the Hockey Hall of Fame. For those who stayed, we ended the weekend with a bang at the CN Tower’s 360 Restaurant as the group enjoyed the sunset on a 360-degree view of the Toronto skyline.
On behalf of the organizing committee, we would like to thank all our attendees, advisors, and York University and the University of Toronto Golden Key chapters for making CANCON 2014 a huge success. We hope that CANCON 2014 has inspired you in molding your own key to success. Our planning committee and volunteers had a wonderful time putting the Summit together and we can’t wait to see you again at CANCON 2015!
In 1988, Youth Service America, an international leader in the youth service movement, came together to start Global Youth Service Day with the goal of engaging young people ages 5 to 25 years old to participate in service activities. Youth Service America wanted to target […]
On Thursday 27 February 2014, the University of Canterbury in New Zealand hosted “Clubs Day”, which is a part of the university’s Orientation Week. On this day the many student clubs and organizations set up tables to attract prospective members; in fact there are over […]
Golden Key International Honour Society strives to help its members become successful in every facet of life. A Golden Key member is more than an excellent student— they are well-rounded individuals who encompass leadership qualities and social consciousness, and we believe that studying abroad is a tremendous opportunity for our members to venture beyond the classroom and gain cultural wisdom. In light of such, we would like to share an article from Envision Global Forums highlighting the benefits of studying abroad.
Spend some time studying abroad and you are very likely to improve your grades, enhance your personality and be more prepared to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.
Several new studies suggest that studying internationally is like eating a super nutritious vegetable- it improves your mental capacity (IQ), your emotional intelligence (EQ) and your cultural adaptability (CQ).
Want to get hired right after graduating from college? An increasing number of companies, now facing increased global competition, are demanding more workers with cross-cultural skills and abilities.
Of the 10 most significant challengers facing hiring managers today, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, two are related to CQ- “finding the right employees in the right markets where we do global business” and “breaking down cultural barriers that make it difficult to create a truly global company”.
When students learn in culturally diverse settings, they improve their cultural intelligence (CQ). Those with high CQ benefit in four ways, according to the International Encyclopedia of Organization Studies:
Boost Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Perhaps most surprisingly, new research shows that studying in another country also boosts emotional intelligence (EQ). In fact, personal development improvements begin as soon as a student makes the decision to study in a foreign country.
“Those students who are about to study abroad are – even before they leave – more open-minded, conscientious and extravert than their fellow students who stay at home,” said psychologist Dr. Julia Zimmermann, a researcher at the Friedrich Schiller University at Jena, Germany.
Improve Your IQ
A 10-year study – the Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative (GLOSSARI) – documents the academic outcomes of study abroad across 35 Georgia institutions. It found that students with study abroad experience where able to raise their mean cumulative GPA from 3.24 prior to journeying oversees to 3.30 afterward.
The study also found that the four-year graduation rate was 49.6 percent for study abroad students, compared to 42.1 percent for students in the control group.
Global Opportunities Abound
Study abroad programs come in many shapes and sizes. But it is clear that they are highly valuable in preparing college students for career success.
“Given the widely accepted impact of globalization on the U.S. economy and in light of the new skills in demand by businesses, nonprofits, and government, it’s to your advantage to consider the career implications of what may be a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience,” according to the American Institute of Foreign Study.
Nosiphiwo, a Golden Key International Honour Society member and a 2013 alumna of the Envision Global Forum on Business & Entrepreneurship, agrees:
“You’ll learn so much about yourself, about the world around you and how to further yourself in a career path you are interested in. You will meet people of different ages and from different cultures and countries. It’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it. It’s one of those amazing things. So just do it.”
Andrew Potter is the Vice President of Education for Envision, including the Envision Global Forum and its five delegations: Business & Entrepreneurship, International Relations & Diplomacy, Engineering & Technology, Medicine and Science and Nursing & Health Care.
HOW TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN GOOD CREDIT Having good credit is important. Learning how to establish and maintain good credit will help you achieve your financial goals which may include buying a car or home, or getting a credit card or student loan. Here is what you […]
GK SCHOLARSHIPS: Ather Sharif
GK Scholarships: Logan Thornton